Crossing Paths -Asagao Academy AU-
by TaylaWrites
Summary: Having been accepted into the Normal Boots, Hana could have never been happier. Sure, she never really found love as Mai had hoped, but she was happy regardless. A new year is starting at Asagao, and with it an entirely new adventure. Between Paul's return to president, Mai's pining over Jared, and the questions following her, this year is promising to be the strangest yet.
1. Chapter 1 -Papa's Diner-

Chapter One

Papa's Diner

"If you call me James, one more time I _swear_ I will murder you, Ian" Hana sighed as the fight between Caddy and Ian continued, only intensified by the annoyance radiating from the rest of the people in their cramped compartment. The train had been fuller than they'd expected, forcing the members of Hidden Block and Normal Boots, totaling seventeen people with the addition of Mai, to squeeze into two compartments meant for six people each. They were packed together like sardines, nine in one, eight in the other. Hana desperately wished she'd chosen the second compartment, having been squished between Jared and Jirad in their current situation. Not that she minded, and she hadn't had much of a choice when both Jirad and Jared had immediately steered her into the compartment the second they were on the train, but the irritation here was rising. Sooner or later a fight would break out.

"Um...Ian...Caddy...maybe you should calm down and try to-" Hana stopped herself, realizing neither of them were even blinking in her direction as they had their stare down. Ian was as platonic as ever, giving off his ever present aura of indifference. Caddy, on the other hand, was infuriated, a vein nearly popping in his forehead.

"Just ignore them if you can, Hana. They always do this. Nothing ever comes of it" Luke shrugged, having noticed the frown on her face. "Eventually Ian will get bored of tormenting him or Caddy will realize he's getting nowhere"

As if on cue, Caddy gave a loud sigh, slouching in his seat between Ian and Paul. He was scowling, an expression unsuited to his normally cheerful self. Hana wondered why they hadn't had the insight to seat the two of them apart. Maybe she could still shove Paul, Nick, and Josh in between them.

"Hana" Jirad said quietly, a small frown on his face. "Like Luke said, don't worry about it. Ian and Caddy are friends, they'd never actually hurt one another"

"You'd be surprised" Caddy muttered to himself. Jared, Jirad, and Luke shot him seething glares as Hana's frown only deepened.

"Hey we'll be there soon, Hana!" Jirad said happily, leaning over so that his arm was around her shoulders. Hana looked up as Jirad beamed, his excitement nearly infectious. "Tons of students from Asagao are going to this convention. And we'll be playing in an even bigger tournament this time! I'm sure there's going to be tons of vendors there. Maybe one of them has a new Itty Bitty Kitty for your collection"

Hana gave a small smile. She had been starting to collect more and more of the adorable toys that Jirad adored. After getting a job at the school's library, she'd been making her own money, and her scholarship had increased because of her good grades. Ever since then she'd been collecting the tiny statues herself, slowly filling her and Mai's room with them. The convention they were going to was much larger than the one they'd been to the year before. There would be dozens more merchants at this one, and an even larger tournament that neither club had ever participated in. It was well worth the six hour trip, even if some of them couldn't get along.

"Yeah. Hopefully we can find a rare one there" Hana nodded.

"Don't worry, Hana we'll separate the two of them on the way home. Wouldn't want any cat fights to ruin the trip" Jared was sending a well-meaning scowl in the direction of Ian and Caddy. Ian scoffed, turning his head to watch the countryside fly by. Caddy on the other hand rubbed his neck, clearly embarrassed

A sudden jolt shook the train. Hana was practically shoved into Jared, crushed between him and Jirad. Thankfully Jared thought to raise his arm, causing her to fall into his lap rather than crashing against his shoulder. Ian, Caddy, and Paul were rocked into one another as Luke smacked his head against the wall while Nick and Josh nearly fell from their seats. A faint scream was heard, no doubt Mai, from the other compartment, followed by a series of grunts and groans from whoever she'd crashed into. The train had come to a stop.

"We're here!" Jirad cheered, apparently affected by the sudden stop. He hadn't seemed to notice the various expressions of pain and embarrassment, nor Jared lifting a mortified Hana out of his lap. "Come on guys, let's g-" He stopped, noticing the rest of them. "Oh. Are you all right? Jared, you're really red. You're not getting sick are you?"

"No I'm alright" Jared stood quickly, running his hand through his perfect hair. "We should go, the others might have already gotten off already"

Jared had been right. The rest of our group had already collected themselves on the train platform. There was a range of emotion passing through them, ranging from an irritated Mai to a deep blush on the face of PBG. Even Jon, though he hardly ever broke from his flamboyantly happy behavior, looked vaguely irritated as he held his Jaques in his hand.

"Is everyone ready to go to the hotel?" Jirad asked, still smiling brightly as he carried both his own and Hana's bag onto the platform. "The convention starts tomorrow so we should all get plenty of rest"

"Maybe let's get something to eat after. I'm starving" PBG said, rubbing the back of his head idly. Hana. He was still blushing, looking off in any direction he could to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"Oh yeah." Jirad nodded earnestly. Hana would never understand how he, and Satch for that matter, were always so impossibly nice in the worst situations. "We should. What do you guys want?"

"I found a place" Jeff held up his phone, displaying a map app on its screen. "It's pretty close to the hotel. Looks like a sit-down family restaurant, so they wouldn't mind a bunch of grumpy teenagers coming in"

"Let's go!" Jirad took Hana's hand carefully, pulling her along the walkway. The others followed suit, carrying the various pieces of luggage they'd brought. Hana looked over her shoulder just in time to see Mai unceremoniously allow PBG to take one of the three bags she'd brought, stalking away with the same irritated look on her face. What could have possibly happened?

The walk to the hotel was short, taking them along four or five blocks worth of city streets. Amaharu, the city the convention was being held in, was much larger than Higanbana. Its streets were a maze, filled with vendors, food carts, and various shops and pedestrians. Jirad and Jeff had studied the route tirelessly, leading their large group effortlessly. They managed to arrive without incident, and deposited their bags before heading for the restaurant

It was a cute, American-style diner situated in a sweet looking residential neighborhood. The title was in English letters, reading out "Papa's Diner" according to Shane and Caddy. Jirad and Jeff escorted them inside, where a smiling waitress lead them to a few tables in the back corner. Thankfully they could spread out, leaving them much more comfortable than they'd had on the train. The split was almost natural, most of the Hidden Block slipping into a table booth that would fit all of them easily. Jon and PBG pushed two smaller tables together, gathering chairs to surround them. Despite the separation, Hana could see Jeff and PBG talking animatedly as their waitress brought over large trays of their drinks, a small notepad and pencil in hand to take their orders.

The menu was in English, most of which Hana could read in broken sentences. Mai could make out most of it, and of course Shane, Walid, Satch, and Caddy could understand it fully. The rest of the group was divided between being completely unable to getting broken pieces of the western language. Hana ordered a suitably American looking dish, a sandwich and french fries that looked much lighter than anything else on the menu. The others followed suit, with the exception of an order of chicken wings that looked spicy enough to melt steel by Jon. He was a risk taker he said. But he did order ice cream to soak his terrorized tongue in afterwards.

"This place is pretty cute" Jared said lazily, looking over the small diner. He looked bored to tears, though Hana suspected he was merely trying to draw attention to himself so he'd have a reason to ignore Mai.

"Yeah. It is" Hana agreed quietly, listening as the majority of her friends agreed. The diner was rather nicely decorated. It was themed in red and silver, nicely adorned with various knickknacks she suspected were American in nature. A few baseballs with cursive signatures on a shelf, a framed jersey that was also signed, some posters and pictures of athlete, musicians, and movie stars. It was a nice appreciation of another country.

The little bell over the diner's door rang loudly, drawing Hana's attention to it. A small group of girls had entered, chattering quietly among themselves as they entered. There were five of them in total, ranging in height and appearance, all wearing tired expressions despite their apparently happy conversation. Hana watched carefully as they waved to the waitress behind the counter. She came out smiling brightly, leading the small group to a table whose booth seat was adjacent with that which Luke, Ian, Jimmy, and Caddy were seated in. One of the girls, one almost as tall as PBG wearing a black and white band t-shirt, gave them a skeptical look before turning back to her friends.

"Hmm" Jared was watching the small group with an almost wistful look. Hana could practically see the gears turning in his head as his eyes scanned them.

"I don't think they'd appreciate your charm, Jared" Satch said gently, catching sight of the same look Hana had. "They seem rather stressed. Perhaps you should leave them be"

Jared was wearing his most suave smile, the radiant aura that spread from him intensifying to an almost blinding brightness. Most of the table was watching him skeptically with the exception of Mai, who wore a hurt frown.

"Nonsense. There's not a lady in the world who does not appreciate a little gentlemanly charm" Jared insisted.

His voice caught the attention of one of the girls at the other table. She glanced up from her menu, eyeing him with a strange expression on her face. Jared grinned at her, a smooth smile that would have struck Mai dead if it turned on her. The girl raised an eyebrow, earning a small snicker from Jon. Jared shot his friend a glare, getting to his feet easily.

"Jared...you really shouldn't-" Hana sighed as Jared strode easily over to the table, leaning against it casually. All five of its occupants looked up at him expectantly.

"Hello ladies, what brings you here" Jared turned his eyes on the girl who'd initially looked their way. Along with her band shirt she was also wearing thick glasses and heavy makeup, her eccentrically blue hair clashing with red skinny jeans. Next to her was her friend who'd overheard him, wearing an alarmed expression on her face. She reached up to adjust her black hair, moving its shoulder length strands away from her face and twirling it around her fingers.

"Food maybe? It is a diner after all" The Band Shirt girl spoke in heavily accented Japanese, her words earning a sharp laugh from Jon and Caddy. Walid was leaning off the edge of their table, struggling to see what Jared was doing. Jimmy was nearly on top of him.

"Ah, clever aren't you" Jared was unaffected, his smile still written easily across his face. He turned to the girl playing with her hair, trying to avoid his gaze with by shrinking into her seat. "And you? What's your name beautiful?"

The dark haired girl paled, green eyes going wide. "Um...I'm Daya?" She said, looking anywhere that wasn't directly at Jared.

"Daya..A name fit for a queen" Jared's grin widened. He'd managed to catch one of them.

"Jared, please sit back down before you give the poor girl a heart attack" Jeff said, seeing the alarming rate at which Daya was trying to slip further away from Jared. He stood, leaning around the seat to look at her. "Are you alright? Jared doesn't mean anything by it, he's just friendly"

Band shirt scoffed, as if friendly wasn't the word she would have used. "Lay off it, bud" She said. Hana suspected she was American, as she spoke in English, but didn't share the same accent as Shane or Caddy. "She's really not interested"

"Cassie...don't be mean" Daya said weakly, looking embarrassed. She looked at Jared, her face still flushed. "I'm sorry...she doesn't mean it. Really she doesn't"

"It's alright, my dear" Jared smiled brightly at her again. "It's you I'm interest-" Jared squealed as Luke and Satch grabbed his shoulders, dragging him back over to the table with apologetic smiles.

"Sorry, ladies. We'll keep him on a leash" Luke smiled, turning back to his own group.

Daya frowned, but didn't argue as her friends returned to their meal. Hana looked down at her plate, having finished most of her sandwich while watching Jared embarrass himself. Most of the table was still eating, with the exception of Mai and Jared, who were both sulking. She remembered the way to the hotel...or at least she thought she did. Maybe it was best not to risk it.

Waiting for the rest of her friends to finish, Hana found herself staring at the table of girls. Cassie, the girl with the strange accent, had returned to her conversation, munching on the fries the waitress had brought them. Daya on the other hand was scribbling something, slowly eating her own meal as she did so. Hana caught her glancing up every once a while, checking on their table before turning back to whatever she was working on.

"Hana?" Her attention snapped back, turning to see Jirad watching her with a concerned smile. "Are you coming? We're all ready to leave"

Had that much time passed? Hana nodded and stood, gathering her jacket and bag. Jon and PBG were on the way back from the register, smiling and talking quietly about something. Hana sighed, she'd planned on offering to help with the bill. She'd have to get something for Jon and PBG while they were at the convention.

"Well let's go I suppose" Jared said, still sulking to himself. Satch gave him a sympathetic expression, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and leading him to the door. Hana followed them out, stopping only when a small voice caught her attention.

"Um..excuse me" She felt a small tug on her jacket, turning to find the girl Jared had been speaking to standing behind her. She was holding the paper she'd been scribbling on, clutching it between her hands.

"Oh...hello" Hana said, seeing the confused expression on Jirad's face and the nervous one the girl was wearing.

"Sorry for bothering..." She said quietly. Hana had to strain to hear her as the girl glanced over her shoulder to see if any of her friends were watching. "I'm Daya...Daya Markis. I...well I felt bad...because Cassie was so mean to your friend when he was only trying to be nice" It wasn't nervousness, the girl wasn't blushing. She was just very quiet. "I figured I should apologize, but he and your other friend left before I finished. Daya held out the paper carefully. "Give this to him please? I wanted to give it to him before he left...but you know"

"Of course" Hana accepted the paper carefully, noticing how crisp and clean it was. No wrinkles or spots whatsoever, despite having been surrounded by greasy food and drink at a crowded table. She avoided looking at whatever it held, figuring there might be some personal message. "I'd be happy to. I'm sure Jared will be thrilled. I'm Hana by the way. This is Jirad"

"Nice to meet you" Daya smiled, nodding her head toward Jirad. "Thank you so much." She bowed quickly, turning to return to diner to join her friends.

"Huh. That was nice" Jirad said, smiling. "I guess Jared did make a good impression...oh. They waited for us"

Hana turned back to the street, finding the majority of her friends staring at her. Mai was clenching her fist, glaring at Daya's retreating form. Most of them were merely mildly curious, Jared looked ecstatic.

"Well? What was that about?" PBG asked as Hana and Jirard joined them, politely ignoring the paper in her hands as if it weren't there.

"Well...umm...Jared" Hana held the paper toward him slowly. "This is for you."

Jared took it, excitement coloring his features and darkening Mai's. He scanned over the paper quickly, his face falling from sheer excitement to something akin to awe. Hana's curiosity got the better of her and she, along with Jirad and Caddy, glanced over Jared's arm to see the paper.

"Oh wow" A soft sigh escaped Caddy.

Daya had drawn a full profile portrait of Jared, sulking at the table. She'd taken the time to add in much more detail than Hana thought she'd had time to, including the figures of Caddy and Satch, both who'd been blocking her line of sight to Jared. Hana came to a sudden realization. The image hadn't been an apology...Daya had to have been working on it the moment she sat down. That must have been why she was hiding from Jared, only to apologize and stand up for him in front of her friends.

"Well I think Jared's had enough excitement for the day" Satch said, probably having seen the defeated expression on Mai's face as she saw the drawing. "Let's head back. Big day ahead of us"

Hana looked back toward the diner. Cassie and Daya were both watching them out the window. They turned away when they saw her watching, quickly going back to whatever the others were doing.

Things were never easy with the Normal Boots.


	2. Chapter 2 -The Seika Tournament-

Chapter Two

The Seika Tournament

The next morning was even more stressful than the last. Despite having each gone to their rooms early the night before, there wasn't a single member of either the Normal Boots or the Hidden Block that wasn't dragging their feet. Jimmy had to be carried down the stairs,wrapped in a throw blanket, Ian and Caddy were so tired they'd actually fallen asleep leaning against each other, and Josh, Nick, Jared, Jon, and Paul were all huddled in a sleeping pile at the front of the lobby by the time Hana made it downstairs. Only Jirard, Jeff, and Satch seemed fully awake, as even Luke was falling asleep on a leather couch next to a sleeping Mai.

"Good morning, Hana!" Jirad and Jeff said cheerfully, both of them seemingly unbothered by their sleeping friends.

"Do you have everything you need today, Hana?" Satch asked, looking up from his phone.

"I think so." She nodded. She'd spent an extra hour making sure she had everything pre-packed in the school backpack she had brought for the convention. Nothing could possibly go wrong. "The first part of the Tournament is today, right?"

"Yep!" Jirad smiled brightly, looking up from his own bag. "The puzzle and dance competition are today" He cast a worried glance at Jared, who was still draped over Paul's lap sleeping soundly. Wallid was asleep as well, sharing the blanket Jimmy had wrapped himself in with Luke and Mai. Ian snored softly next to them. None of them looked as if they'd be prepared for the early morning competition.

"Looks like you might win by default today, Hana" Jeff smiled, having finished packing up his own bag. "I doubt any of those three will be awake"

"Well, we'd better start getting them up, the convention opens in ten minutes" Satch said, starting his mission by pulling Jared up and off of Paul. "Jared, Jared come on. Wake up"

Hana sighed, figuring she should help as well. She sat her bag with Jirad's, crossing to where Ian and Caddy had snuggled together. Figuring Ian's reaction would be worse, she shook Caddy's shoulder first. "Caddy, wake up please"

His eyes opened slowly, blinking away sleep. He yawned, returning to a casual smile as he saw Hana in front of him. "Oh hey, Hana. Beautiful morning, huh….IAN" Hana watched helplessly as Caddy threw himself off the couch, sputtering incoherently in his panicked rush to get away. Ian's head hit the side of the couch with a small thud, causing Hana to almost cry out in alarm. His eyes snapped open, immediately searching for the culprit. He found Hana, eyes narrowing in anger.

"Ian! Are you alright?!" Hana asked frantically waving her hands as Ian sat up, holding the side of his head.

"I'm fine" He looked past her, gaze falling on Caddy, who was now sitting on the floor breathing hard.

Most of the others had been woken up by that point, with the exception of Jon and Paul, who were still sleeping against PBG and Josh. Jirad had returned to the bags and was holding Hana's loosely in his hands. He held it out to her, smiling brightly. She accepted it gratefully, slinging the bag over her shoulder as the others joined them.

"Hana" A weight fell against her back, causing her to squeak in surprise. An arm wrapped around her as the culprit laid his head against hers. She turned her head, finding a yawning Jared. "You're so awake in the morning….how do you do it" Jared asked, pressing his face into her hair in his sleep induced haze.

"Jared!" Hana felt the blush rising to her cheeks. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but she couldn't ignore the looks of the people walking by, admiring the "couple" as they did so.

Satch chuckled at her dismay, grabbing Jared by the shoulder. The older boy shot a nasty look toward his roommate, arm holding Hana tighter to his chest.

"What do you want, Satch" Jared's morning voice was huskier than Hana would like to admit, and way more attractive.

"Hana needs to walk, Jared. You can't hang off of her" Satch said simply, adjusting his glasses.

"Fine" Jared's weight left her, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose I can wait"

 _Wait for what?_ Hana thought to herself, praying the heat would drain from her face sooner rather than later. Jared had a habit of making her flustered, in fact it almost seemed like he enjoyed it sometimes. There was just something about the way he draped himself over her so easily that set off every nerve in her body.

"Well...let's get going" The smile had vanished from Jirad's face. He was frowning at Jared as he waited for everyone to get to their feet and gather their things.

The morning air was crisp and cold, bringing with it a soft breeze that only furthered the chill. Hana found herself pulling her jacket tighter to herself as she adjusted her bag. The weather shouldn't have been this cold yet, but dark clouds were rolling in from the west, no doubt the cause of the terrible weather. Hana walked along slowly with the others, keeping pace with Satch and Mai as they headed for the convention center.

"I hear the convention is going to have special guests. One of them is the designer behind Nokemon. There's also going to be an artist from Animal Intersection" Jeff rambled on cheerfully.

"Jeff...shut up before I make you shut up." Ian groaned. He was still rubbing the side of his head, a small bruise having formed just below his ear.

"Ian why don't you-" Caddy was shut up by a meaningful glance from Jeff. It seemed like the peace between them would be kept for the day.

"Are you alright, Hana? Your teeth are chattering" Satch said, his tone calm but still concerned. He looked at her inquisitively.

"I'm a bit cold, but I can wait until we get to the-AH!" Hana jumped as Jared appeared at her side, more awake than he'd been in the past five minutes.

"Don't worry, Hana. I'll be sure to keep us both warm" He smirked, laying an arm easily around her shoulders. Satch raised an eyebrow, probably waiting to gauge what she would do.

"O-Oh." Hana felt heat rise to her face again. Despite her embarrassment, Jared really did help with the cold. "I really don't think that's necessary, Jared."

"Nonsense" Jared shook her head, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "Classes start on Monday! What kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed you to get sick just before we have to go back to the most important year of your school career?"

Hana swallowed. This year was crucial for any universities looking at applications for financial aid. Keeping her grades up would be her top priority this year, along with making sure she kept a small reserve of money to save up for additional expenses. Not to mention the older members of Normal Boots and Hidden Block would be graduating this year. Jared, Paul, Nick, and Josh were seemingly excited for their final year at Asagao. To Hana it was bitter sweet.

"Hana? Hana, are you okay?" Fingers snapped in front of her face, drawing her attention back to the present. "Hana, I know Jared is an idiot but there's no need to get so flustered over it"

Jon was standing in her face, walking backwards quickly. His face was concerned, but there was a jovial tone to his voice. Jacques turned on his shoulder, rotating his head as if he were dizzy.

"Oh, I'm alright." She said, looking down at her feet. "I was just thinking….so many of us are graduating this year. It'll be different"

The group fell silent. No one was quite sure what would happen once those in their final year left. Paul sighed audibly.

"It'll be okay. Besides, your class will graduate next year Hana. Then it will just be Jimmy left behind." Paul shrugged. "He should be the one worried."

"Hey!" Jimmy protested.

Jared ignored the ensuing bickering, turning back to Hana with a sly grin on his face. "Is this your way of telling me you'll miss me, Hana?"

"N-No!" Hana squeaked, her face going even redder than she thought possible.

"So you won't miss me?" He pouted, giving her the most sorrowful look she had ever seen.

"Yes..I mean no! I will miss you" Hana sputtered, "It's just...I'm going to miss all of you. Paul and Josh and Nick and You and Walid. You're all going to be leaving and we'll still be stuck in high school"

Jared frowned, his arm tensing around her shoulders. He shared a look with Satch over her head, seemingly communicating in only eye contact. Maybe they could do that because they were roommates? He leaned down as the walked, pressing a soft kiss into her hair. "Don't worry, Hana. We're not going to forget you over something as silly as graduation" He whispered in her ear.

She might have passed out of embarrassment if Jirad had not eagerly called out.

"Look! The convention! Look how big it is!"

Hana gasped as she saw the convention hall. It was being held in a large brick building, towering up to the sky in at least 40 floors. Banners had been hung on the front facing wall, depicting anime heros, video game sprites, and logos for popular tv series. Hana recognized the cute faces of Nokemon, the entire Nario cast, and even some of the more notable characters from anime she and Mai had watched. Hundreds of people milled about in front, some dressed in costume. She swallowed hard.

"So many people" She mumbled to Mai as her friend drew in close, remembering getting lost from PBG at the Flower Festival the year before. Back then she'd been worried, anxious even. But that crowd only totaled around two hundred or so. But this crowd totaled in the thousands. Getting lost in it would be a nightmare.

"The puzzle event is in fifteen minutes. We should head to the back of the contest hall, then once it finishes we can all separate and do our own thing" Jeff smiled. "We need to be there to support Ian and Hana"

"As if we'll need it" Ian huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Despite his protest, the entire group slowly made their way to the contest hall of the convention center. Hana was amazed, watching the game displays with an awed expression as Mai dragged her through the crowd. The convention was brightly colored, filled with blinding neon displays, the loud sounds of various game demos, and the happy chatter of the people walking in between the stalls. It would have been overwhelming if it weren't so beautiful.

"Hana are you ready for this? Mai asked, drawing her friend's attention back to the group. "I know you said you had some time to practice over the break, and set up some online matches with Ian, but you've never been in a tournament this large before"

"What do you mean?" Hana said, worry suddenly settling in her stomach.

"It's not that I think you're not ready for it." She frowned. "It's just this is going to be more than just you and Ian. There are going to be a lot more teams here today"

"Don't psyche her out, Mai." The look Shane's face could only be described as evil. "Hana can do this"

Mai pursed her lips, clearly in the opinion that she was only be helpful. In reality her words formed a rock in the bottom of my stomach. Mai was right, after all. The tiny tournament at Higanbana Mall was nothing compared to this. There it was really only the Normal Boots, Hidden Block, and a few stragglers competing in events for fun. This tournament involved real prizes for each event, and tons of competitors from all over. So many, in fact, that Satch had made arrangements for all of them to participate months in advance to make sure they had a spot.

"You've definitely got this Hana. Don't let a few more people make you bug out" Luke said teasingly, a wide smile on his face. "After all, you've got to rub how much better you've gotten in Ian's face, right?"

"Right" Hana smiled gratefully. She could do this.

Walking into the puzzle competition room, her confidence plummeted. It wasn't a cramped spare room in the back of an arcade. This room had a raised stage, lit with actual spot lights. Hundreds of chairs were lined up, just waiting for onlookers to use them. Hana spotted a podium set up at the front of the room, obviously for the emcee who would be providing commentary on the match. What stunned her the most was the stage itself. In Higanbana there had been two chairs, one for Ian and one for her. Here there were twelve, two set up at the front of the stage, holding computers and the equipment necessary for the one on one match to be projected, the other ten resting a towards one side. She'd read that there would be a tournament style bracket system, but she didn't know how large it would be.

"Looks like they reserved seats for the teams up front" Jeff smiled, he turned, looking between Hana and Ian. "Guess you two should head up on stage."

"Yeah! Good luck, Hana! We'll be cheering for you!" Jirad said brightly, a contagious grin on his face.

"Do your best, Hana. You too, Ian"

"You've got this"

"We're counting on you guys."

"Don't lose or else"

" _Shane"_ PBG, Jirad, and Mai were staring at him, eyes narrowed.

"What?" He deadpanned. "If she loses she'll bring us all down in the ranking"

"Shane, kindly shut up please" Jared said. "You could stand to be a little more optimistic. Or at least pretend to have a little faith in her.

"Let's go before a fight starts" Hana jumped as Ian whispered in her ear, nodding toward the stairs that lead up and onto the stage.

"Right" Hana nodded.

She trailed after Ian, her anxiety only growing as she saw the other competitors standing on stage. They were scouring a slip of paper hung on the wall, probably detailing their brackets and who would be going first. Hana kept to the back of the group, allowing Ian to push to the front without a second glance at the people glaring at him. He returned shortly after, slip of paper in hand.

"Your third in the bracket. Against someone listed as 'Daylicious' from 'Pixel Quest'" Ian handed off the slip of paper, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Mine is first, so if I win we'll be able to wait together."

"Thank you" Hana clutched the paper in trembling hands. She wasn't sure what Daylicious meant, it could be anything from a nickname to a simple misspelled word. Paper in hand, Hana scanned the group of players, trying to put a face to a name. A flash of purple caught her eye. Was that….no it couldn't be.

"Daya?" Ian jumped as she called out the girl's name, whirling around in the direction she was looking.

A familiar head of black hair appeared from behind a much taller boy. Daya smiled softly, crossing the stage toward them. She had traded her simple outfit from the day before for skinny jeans and a purple and gray varsity jacket. As she approached, Hana caught sight of the patch sewn onto her jacket. A small, white egg with large pink spots and, in tiny, cursive letters, the words _Pixel Quest_ embroidered above it.

"Hey. Hana right?" Daya said quietly, glancing at Ian. "I don't believe we've met"

"We haven't" he said simply, his arms still crossed over his chest.

"This is Ian. Ian, this is Daya. She's the one Jared was f-flirting with" Hana flushed at the memory of the secondhand embarrassment.

"Nice to meet you" Daya's eyes fell to my Normal Boots jacket, then switched to Ian's Hidden Block version. "Looks like we match."

"Pixel Quest, huh?" Ian raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah" Daya nodded. "I assume you two are the reps for Puzzles from your groups?"

"We are" Hana didn't have time to answer as Ian nodded. "Hana was our regional champion last year"

That was a bit of a stretch. Higanbana was the regional tournament, but only because it was the only one. There were no other gaming tournaments unless you traveled into different provinces.

"Congrats, Hana" Thankfully Daya didn't seem to be bothered by Ian's hostile nature. In fact, she hardly even broke a sweat under a stare down that was usually reserved for Caddy. "So. Looks like my bracket is with you, Hana. I hope it's a good game!"

Daylicious. Daya. Even Hana should have put two and two together. She didn't seem particularly hostile, in actuality she was very friendly. Even if she talked so quietly that you could hardly hear her.

"So do I" Hana agreed with a smile. She had no doubt that Daya was really good to be able to participate in this competition. She hasn't even blinked at a title of regional championship.

"You from around here, Daya?" Ian said, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion.

"I'm from Monoke, north of here" She answered without missing a beat. "But I'm starting a my third year at highschool, and I transferred to a new one this year. This was on the way, so my friends and I entered the competition."

A new school? As far as Hana knew there were only a few schools in this area. Two public schools, a military academy, and Asagao "what school did you transfer to?"

"Asagao Academy" She smiled softly, the expression barely noticeable on her face. She must have caught the look of surprise on our faces, as she continued shortly after. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah no...just. We're from Asagao. Fourth years." Hana answered, equally as quiet.

Being a third year would make her Jimmy's age, or somewhere right around there. She didn't seem that young..maybe she had been held back?

"A third year?" Ian had no qualms about raising an eyebrow.

Daya looked embarrassed. "Well...I'm supposed to be a fourth year. But I was sick a lot and so now I have to complete all my third year courses first. Asagao is letting me do my third year missed courses and my fourth year courses together"

She must have been intelligent for them to allow that. Even Satch, who'd ended up missing a final exam due to a bad cold, hadn't gotten the chance to retake that class with his next year. He'd had to do summer work.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Would all contestants in the puzzle event please take a seat." The Emcee, a balding man in his late forties, called for attention into the mic. "As you know, we will be operating in brackets until the final one on one match is decided. Our first bracket is Hidden Block's Ian Macleod vs. Emiko Anagiri!"

"Would you like to sit together while we wait for our bracket, Hana?" Daya said as Ian nodded toward Hana and headed off for the gaming table.

"Sure I'd love to" Hana smiled, following Daya over to the set of ten seats waiting for them. At least with Daya she'd be sitting by someone she knew, even if Ian lost his first bracket.

He didn't. Ian blew through his opponent without so much as batting an eyelash. The game was simple enough, it was an online card game. Though the physical version, complete with holographic cards, was done by players collecting cards and employing them against opponents, the online version was done at complete random. You chose your leader class, Empire, Monster, Northern Realms, or Fae, and the game gave you randomly leveled cards. Each class had six leaders to choose from, and they all had different player was given 30 cards to a deck, and drew 12 cards at the start of the game that would be used to play the rest of it. There were three rounds. Hana knew from practice that Ian played fast and aggressive, often overwhelming his opponent in two rounds simply through brute force. He always chose the Empire, as they were able to use the Up In Arms ability once per round that turned all cards on the field into the type with the greatest majority in his deck.. Between his brutal strategy and his leader's faction ability there was very little chance of escape.

The next bracket was announced as Ian's foe walked off stage, looking utterly defeated. He joined Hana and Daya in the seats as the next pair took the chairs. Despite his landslide victory, he looked oddly grim. Hana looked questioningly at him as he took the seat to her left, ignoring Daya completely.

"Take your time, Hana" Ian leaned over, whispering in her ear as to not alert Daya. "The time limit is set to ten minutes. Make sure you plan out your cards carefully, don't use too many in the first round. You have your leader selected?"

"Yes" She nodded. The Fae class leader Legolan was her usual choice, as his class gave him the ability to resurrect one card per round from the graveyard, and his personal ability, "Shining Arrow", allowed him to hit three cards at once, doing double damage to enemies or doing four points of healing to any ally cards. She wondered what leader Daya chose.

"Be careful. You can do this" Ian said.

The second round was over almost as quickly as the first. Kaito, a tall Korean boy with white-blonde hair, was crushed by the punk-rock Daria within the first two rounds. He sulked off the stage, taking his place next to Emiko to take place in the loser's bracket to compete for the "wild card" position. It was Hana's turn.

"Best of luck, Hana" Daya smiled as she stood, walking easily forward to take her seat at the front table.

After a quick push from Ian, Hana joined her. The screen in front of her blinked to a start menu, asking her to input her name. Following instructions given by the emcee, she quickly entered "Hana Mizuno -Normal Boots-" and pressed ready. A few moments later her opponent's name, labeled until then as "Foe", changed to "Daylicious -Pixel Quest-". The start menu faded away, changing instead to a leader selection screen. Hana went straight for Legolan, double clicking him to confirm. In the top corner of the screen Daya's player symbol flashed as it updated. She had chosen Arcinai, a Fae class. Hana wasn't totally familiar with what Arcinai did, but she could check once they were in game.

"This third bracket is a cat fight, ladies and gentlemen. Held between Hana Mizuno, of the Normal Boots Club!" A rousing cheer rose from the audience. Hana distinctly recognized the screaming voices of Mai and Jon. "And Daylicious, Daya Markis, of Pixel Quest!" Another round of cheering broke out for Daya. "Ready ladies? Get set…..START"

Hana lept into action the moment the game screen opened up, watching her twelve cards fold out in front of her. They were mostly offensive, a few catapults to place in the siege engine line, some archers, a few swordsmen, and a touch of support cards that might come in handy later. A virtual coin was tossed, declaring Daya the winner. She would go first. Knowing that Daya would use her first round to get a feel for Hana's play style, she hovered her cursor over Daya's leader card.

" _Arcinai: Fae Class: Draws four cards from the deck when seven or more Fae are in play"_

Seven was a lot, especially out of the twelve cards they started with. There was little strategy that she could employ when the card needed that many in play to activate. Of course, the Fae class could bring cards back from the dead too...so maybe Daya planned to use that to her advantage. A small ding came through the headset provided to her. Daya had placed a card in the range section, an archer card with the fellowship ability that would allow him to boost any other ranged cards placed on his side of the field. It was her turn.

Hana scanned over the cards given to her. Ranged attackers could only be effectively dealt with with another ranged attack or a siege engine, as they had a significant bonus over close combat fighters. Hana placed a regular archer on her side. It's attack was higher than Daya's own, resting at four points of damage rather than Daya's two, but she needed to wait another turn to attack. The ding sounded again.

This time Daya didn't hesitate. She placed another card. A specialty card called "Witch of the Wilds", its face depicting a scantily dressed women wearing spikes and wielding a fireball in one hand. Specialty cards had higher health than regular cards of their type, and many of them had a special ability. This one appeared to do attack damage despite having just been placed, knocking 4 points off of Hana's archer's health. He was now down to six health points. Ding.

Hana threw down a support card with the ability "call to arms" allowing her to draw a card to the field. The card came from her deck, turning over on the close combat section. This card wasn't special, but it did do a whopping twelve attack damage. The crowd gave a little gasp as it was played. Ding.

Just as she'd expected, Daya had another card ready. She played her own call to arms card in her own close combat section. It brought out two cards from her deck, both fellowship cards. Her attack damage was now doubled. Ding.

Hana swallowed hard. She'd only played two cards from her hand, leaving 10 still remaining. She had a card advantage over Daya, but Daya's attack damage total was much higher than she would have liked. Thinking to add to her own forces, Hana played a siege engine, a catapult, adding seven more to her damage count. Ding.

The card Daya laid down next was one Hana hadn't seen in a Fae deck before. "Firebrand Whiskey" held a dark brown bottle with a skull and crossbones on its face. It was a fae card for sure, she could see the little icon in the corner, but she had no clue what it did.

 _Combo Ability Activate! Sunbeam!_

Hana watched in shock as Arcinai's card lit up, firing little golden lasers. The sunbeam ability was one of three combo bonuses each leader could have. Arcinai was one of two to have it. She watched in near despair as it fired. Sunbeam destroyed any cards on the field that was marked with a little black dot in the bottom right corner, noting it as a "dark card" in game. Only special cards were immune, meaning Hana's archer and close combat soldier were destroyed along with the first archer Daya had played. Daya's score was now higher.

The ten minutes was up.

 _Winner! Daylicious -Pixel Quest-_

The crowd cheered as a little gem signalling the player's losses broke on Hana's side. Now with one win Daya could play all her cards without needing to worry about a third round if her total could outnumber Hana's. The winning player drew one card and the second round began.

Hana was fighting for her life now, playing a fourteen damage ballista right out of the gate. Daya was right behind her, placing her own siege engine, a catapult with an average amount of damage. Hana was still ahead, playing a swordsman up front with five attack damage. It was Daya's turn, but she seemed to be taking her time...perhaps she only had support cards.

A yellow light appeared on screen. Daya had passed. As Hana was ahead, all she needed to do was pass herself and the round was hers.

 _Winner! Hana Mizuno -Normal Boots-_

Mai and Jon were screaming louder than ever as the final round started. Both of them had an average amount of cards in their hands. Hana took another card for her round win, but Daya still had a two card lead over her.

Daya's first card was a Woodland Nymph card. Average attack damage of six, but it was marked with the fortification symbol, meaning it would add a point to a random card's attack damage each time a new card was played. Hana countered it, playing a medic that allowed her to revive her twelve attack damage swordsmen. She had three cards in her hand, all held damage ratings over ten. If Daya had only low level cards, she had a chance.

It was too little too late. Daya played "Lady of the Hollow", a rally card that pulled any other rally cards out of the player's hand or deck. Daya had four of them. Her total skyrocketed, even with the three power cards she had lost.

The second gem on Hana's side shattered.

 _Game Over! Winner: Daylicious -Pixel Quest-_

The crowd cheered as the emcee congratulated Daya, sending her back to the seats to wait for her next bracket against the winner of the fourth. Hana stood as well, tears stinging her eyes as she prepared to make her way to the losers bracket. She had a second chance to be a wild card in the tournament, but both Emiko and Kaito had played better than she had in their rounds.

"You played really well, Hana" A soft voice spoke. Daya approached her, wrapping her arms around the other girl. "I hope we can play together at Asagao. I could use the practice"

Her smile chased the tears away. Even though she'd lost, she was happy it was to Daya and not Ian. Daya had played cautiously, racking up damage total rather than battling to wipe out the enemy. Neither of them had taken any points of damage after the Witch of the Wilds card had been played. Daya just knew how to efficiently handle her deck. Hana had nothing to be ashamed of.


End file.
